DULUTH, Minn. (AP) - An 11-year-old boy was out hunting frogs on Island Lake when he became the prey. A large fish, probably a muskellunge or a northern pike, attacked the boy about 5 p.m. Thursday as he and his young sister were wading in a foot of water.

The resulting wounds on Mason DeRosier's feet and hands required 11 stitches to close.

Mason's father, Richard DeRosier, was in a paddle boat just offshore during the attack. DeRosier, a Lake County deputy sheriff, said he was facing the children when he saw a huge swirl in the water.

``Before I can say 'Holy moley! Look at that!', all of a sudden the swirl is by their feet,'' he said.


Mason said he saw the fish splash just offshore. ``It was like, maybe, 5 feet in front of us,'' Mason said. ``Then it splashed right at my foot and bit me. It hurt.''


It didn't let go. ``I smacked it in the head and tried to pry it off my foot,'' Mason said. ``He let go, but he bit my hand.''


The sister wasn't hurt.


Mason was taken in back to the family's cabin to wash the wounds, then he was off to the hospital.


He received eight stitches in his left hand and three in the bottom of his right foot. He has numerous other bite marks across the top of his foot, his dad said.


" I'll bet he has 20 cuts on his foot and 10 cuts on his hand,'' Richard DeRosier said.